Instant Pot Chicken Stock: Homemade Comfort Effortlessness!

How to make rich and flavorful Instant Pot Chicken Stock. Easy, quick, hands-off, and bonus: no waste – use leftover veggies and scraps!

Whenever I visit my butcher at the local market, I always ask if there’s any chicken carcass or bones for sale. And if I’m lucky, there would still be some left – these get snapped up quick and unfortunately I’m not an early bird! I love making homemade instant pot chicken stock with these – cheap, healthy, nutritious, and ultra versatile! Chicken stocks are one of my favorite things to store in my fridge and freezer, making these perfect for meal prep.

By the way, if you want to make this over the stovetop, see my original homemade chicken stock recipe here! It’s also easy and still hands-off for the most part.

Making your own chicken stock is one of the simplest ways to elevate your cooking. With the Instant Pot, what used to be a long process can now be done in under an hour (with no attention needed!). It speeds up the process and is truly hands-off. Chuck everything in the pot, add aromatics, add vegetables (I always insist on leftover veggies!), pour in water, and let the pressure cooker do its thing! I love using this method because it’s so hands-off, yet the results are as good, if not better, than any store-bought version.

What is Chicken Stock?

Chicken stock is a flavorful liquid made by simmering chicken bones (often with meat), vegetables, and aromatics in water. It’s a kitchen staple that forms the foundation of many dishes like soups, risottos, sauces, and gravies. In an Instant Pot, the process becomes much quicker, extracting all the flavors and nutrients from the bones in a fraction of the time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Fast and Easy: The Instant Pot cuts down on cooking time while giving you a stock that’s just as rich and flavourful as the slow-simmered kind.
Versatile: Use it as a base for soups, gravies, or cook grains like rice for an extra flavor boost.
Healthy: Homemade stock is loaded with collagen and nutrients that store-bought versions often lack.
No-Waste Recipe: Perfect for using up leftover chicken bones and vegetable scraps.

Key Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Stock

Chicken bones or carcass: You can use bones from a chicken, raw chicken parts, or a mix of both. Bones with some meat left on them will add extra flavor.

Vegetables: Classic choices include onions, carrots, celery and corn, but you can a plethora of vegetables that will add depth and balance to the stock! Roughly chop your vegetables in large chunks so they’re easier to fish out later on. They’re quite bland by the end of the cooking process, so you might not want to eat them – you can though! If you want a pure chicken flavour, do not add vegetables.

Aromatics: Garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme are common options that add layers of aroma and taste… My tip is to use the roots of my fresh herbs like cilantro and spring onion roots! I never throw them away, instead I give them a good wash and keep them in a small bag in my freezer. Whenever it’s stock-making time, I pull it out and throw it all in!

Water: The base of your stock, make sure to use enough to cover the bones and veggies.

Key Steps to Making Instant Pot Chicken Stock

1. Prepare Your Ingredients

Gather chicken bones, vegetables, and aromatics.

Give chicken bones a quick rinse and set aside.

If you have leftover vegetables or herbs, this is a great time to use them. Give the vegetables and aromatics a good rinse before adding to pot. Cut vegetables into larger chunks; it’s not necessary to peel them.

2. Add to Instant Pot and Fill with Water

Place the chicken bones, vegetables, and aromatics into the Instant Pot.

Fill it up with water. Make sure the chicken is covered – it’s fine if not all of the vegetables are submerged in water.

3. Set the Cooking Time

Put on the lid.

Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how rich you want your stock.

That’s all you need to do! No watching required, just set it and forget it.

4. Natural Pressure Release

Let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 15 minutes, then manually release any remaining steam.

5. Strain and Store

Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids.

Let it cool completely before storing.

How to Serve Chicken Stock

Soup Base: Use the stock as a base for homemade soups like chicken noodle soup, ramen, or vegetable soup.

Cooking Grains: Substitute water with stock when cooking rice for extra flavour – such as for Chicken Rice! (search and link Hainanese chicken rice)

Sauces and Gravies: Incorporate the stock into sauces and gravies to boost depth and richness.

Stews and Braises: Use the stock as the liquid base in slow-cooked stews or braises.

Tips and Tricks

Add Collagen-Rich Ingredients: Add chicken feet or wings to increase the collagen content, which results in a richer, more gelatinous stock.
Don’t Overfill the Pot: Keep the water level below the “Max Fill” line to prevent over-pressurizing.
Skim the Fat: After refrigerating, the fat will rise to the top and harden. I like the rich flavour, but you can easily skim it off for a clearer, leaner stock.

Storing and Reheating

Storing

Let the stock cool completely before transferring it to airtight containers. I like to store them in my special stock tumbler (don’t use any that you plan to store drinks in… unless you like chicken flavoured soda!), that I keep in the refrigerator. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze any excess stock! Transfer to airtight, freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating

Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, or in the microwave, until warmed through. If frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight or directly reheat on the stove from frozen.

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FAQs About Making Instant Pot Chicken Stock

Can I use frozen chicken bones or carcass?

Yes, you can use frozen chicken bones directly in the Instant Pot. There’s no need to thaw them first. Cook it slightly longer to account for the time to defrost.

Can I add other ingredients like herbs or different vegetables?

Absolutely! I almost always use a different set of vegetables everytime I make chicken stock, depending on what I have in the fridge. If you want a stronger chicken flavour, I would not recommend adding too many vegetables to the soup. Keep the ratio of 80% chicken bones, and 20% vegetables.

What should I do with the leftover solids after straining?

The solids (bones and vegetables) are usually discarded, as they’ve given up most of their flavor. However, you can compost them or, if there’s still some meat on the bones, pick it off and use it in soups or casseroles.

Why is my stock dark in color?

A darker stock usually results from using a lot of dark meat bones (like the stock today) or if you’ve roasted the bones before making the stock, which deepens the flavor and color. It can also occur if you use a high ratio of meat to water, cook the stock for a longer time, or include ingredients like onions with the skins on or any roasted vegetables. Dark stock is still perfectly fine to use! It tastes especially robust in heartier dishes.

Why is this stock bland?

Because there is no salt added to this stock! I prefer it this way, since it makes the stock a lot more versatile and I can work it into a lot of recipes without worrying about the dish being too salty. You can always season the final dish you’re using the stock in to taste, which gives you more control over the salt content.
If you want the stock to be full-flavoured and seasoned now, simply add salt (or soy sauce, fish sauce, or your sodium of choice)!